The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-06-12
CRAIG TOLLIVER AS A JUDGE
Rowan County's Desperate Grows Tired
of Being Hunted by the Law,
And Procures Himself To Be Elected Judge
He Receives Only Twenty Votes, but Not
Man Dares Vote Against Him.
Lexington (Ky.) Letter.

Lexington (Ky.) Letter.
Craig Tolliver of Rowan county. Kentucky,
has been hunted desperate and murderer for
years aud years. Warrants have been served
against him, indictments found against MIN,
posses have searched for him, and whole com
pany of soldiers went after him and proclaimed
martial law in all of Rowan county But they
did not get their man. Cunning, reckless. dare
devil he fought them from ambush, hid away in
the mountain Businesses whom the country grew
too hot for him, and when matters Quoted down
again he came forth cool and unharmed. and
went at his old tricks. OF course, feud was at
the bottom of it. John Martin killed Bill Tolli-
yer, Craigs brother. and so, of course the nat
urai result that the Tolliver family and
their friends set out to kill the surviving mem
bers of the Martin family and their friends.
Craig shot a few men, and the whole country
took sides.
Troops were ordered to Morehead, the county
seat of Rowan county, to quell the disturbances
that had been caused there by two factons-one
under the leadership of Craig Toliiver. and the
other marshaled by Cook HUMPHREYS. who was
looked upon being every bit as dangerous as
Tolliver, and possessing even more courage.
Guard peace finally restored by an armis-
tice the part Of the Common wealth, whose
attorney agreed to withdraw prosecution on con-
dition that the two leaders should leave the
State. The principals readily agreed to this,
and it was thought that the disorders which had
brought the State into such bad repute had come
to end, and the troops were ordered with
drawn Scarcely had peace been restored when
information was received that Tolliver was back
at his old haunts.
But he came back in a new character. Tired
of being hunted like dog. he conceived the
brilliant idea OF hunting instead of being hunt.
ed He thought the matter over in his own rude
way and figured things out about like this: The
only thing he had ever been forced to fear was
that Intangible something men called the law.
NAo%x ha bed Thni t,1vo
bench the only personal exponent of it that
he knew. So his mind was made up He would
become the law. He would make himself judge.
His friends would votefor him. Where was the
man brave enough to ride up to the polls and
deposit a ballot against hint
And so Craig Tolliver. murderer aud despe-
RADIO, criminal hiding from Justice, was elected
ajudge of Rowan county. No further need had
he to flee from justice. He was justice himself
now. The man whose outbreaks had brought
shame and disgrace the fair soil of that
section had turned the tables, and with high
hand prepared to turn prosecutor instead of
being prosecuted. 1t was dazzling stroke of
genius.
The great opportunity of his life right
at hand and he prepared to pay off old scores,
and pay them off in the name of the law There
Are many indictments against Toiver for seri-
Gus crimes; yet so terrified are the people that
they allow a criminal to hold Office and exercise
the rights of that office. Since the election of
Tolliver to the Office of police judge. three good
citizens have been compelled to flee from More
head. Their lives, their fortunes, their homes.
sons, daughters and wives were in danger. In
the reports of the elections Tolliver received
twenty votes. thereby electing him. People
who were against him were afraid GO the
polls. and a who cannot sign his name legi-
bly, is elected an Office which requires knowl-
edge of the law, equity of judgment and justice
in all things
Immediately after taking possession Of his
Office he began the persecution of his enemies.
Yesterday afternoon he issued warrants for the
arrest of William Logan, twenty-four years old
and mis- brother John, eighteen, charged with
Ku-klux plans Warrants were placed IN the
zE hal hn1t
o'clock Mannin and Tolliver and posse went to
the Logan house to serve the warrants on the
two boys Upon arrival at the Logan home
stead Marshal Mannin asked if the boys were at
home. The housekeeper answered no, but Man
MN, knowing to the contrary, forced his way into
the house and upstairs
Immediately the Logan boys who were
secreted upstairs, opened fire upon Mannin, rid
ding him with slugs from shot-guns and killing
make their escape by getting out by the
back way of the house, but the two men
who accompanied Mannin were stationed in
the rear. and soon as the two
boys made their appearance the posse opened fire
upon them. When the smoke cleared away it
wss seen that the Logan boys lay dead-kiled at
the first shot The two men who formed the posse,
returned to Morehead, gave themselves up. aud
gave the facts as stated. The Logan boys were
about FIVE miles north of the town of Morebead
DR.. h. S. Logan, the father OF the two dead
boys, is confined in the Lexington Jail for safe
keeping OF charge Of conspirine to kill Taylor
Young and Judge A. G. Cole, OF the Circuit
Court of Rowan county. DR.. Logan. when seen,
said that the object was to arrest the boys
that they could be placed in the hands of Craig
Tolliver, who is police judge, so that Tolliver
could wreak his revenge them. Howard Lo-
gan, uncle of these boys, was one of the par
ties who forced to flee from Morehead few
days ago, and seek place of safety. That
whole section of the State is wild tine af-
fair, and the end is not yet
Craig Tover is about fifty-ive years old, and
has been a desperate character for thirty years.
He revels In bloodshed. In 1884, at the August
election. the Martin-Tolliver feud started,
and since that time more than dozen men
have been killed in encounters between these
factions. At the first breaking out of the feud
John Martin killed Bill Toliver brother of
Craig, in fight. Martin was placed in the
Flemingsburg Jail, from which he taken by
Bill Bowling and others forged writ of ha-
beas corpus and shot dead while on the cars en-
route to Morehead The warfare has been
ried openly or in bush ever since that
time Two years ago martial law was proclaimed
In Rowan county but az the troops left
the old troubles renewed. Tolliver pre-
tended that he intended to reform, and some
people foolish enough believe his pro-
LESSONS. 1t is the general opinion at Morehead
that nothing but the death of Craig Tollver will
restore peace to that section.
LAND OF BANANAS.